Enrique Haneine, Unlayered | The Vinyl Anachronist

Sometimes great recordings fall through the cracks here at Vinyl Anachronist World Headquarters, and Enrique Haneine and his new album Unlayered was almost one of those casualties. I received this a few months ago, listened to it once, loved it and then promptly forgot about it until last week. Its second chance came in the form of buzz, that this “modern jazz” recording was succinct at representing the state of jazz in 2020, the vanguard. A lot of people are talking about Unlayered right now, so it’s time for me to do the same. Over the last few years I’ve heard a lot of this so-called modern jazz, occasionally referred to as free jazz, and my approach always involved finding the structure in the chaos. Enrique Haneine doesn’t hide his musical structures in noise or epiphany–it’s laid out for all to see, melodies and themes and all the things you expect and want from music. His themes resemble an edgy pastiche of noir and world music, perhaps culled from an old film about foreign agents in exotic locations. Enrique Haneine was born in Mexico City from Lebanese descent, so he borrows liberally from those cultural touchstones. He’s a drummer and […]